Kidnappers using attractive girls to trap well-off for ransom

[Naveed Yaseen]

Javed Aziz Khan

PESHAWAR: Apart from the involvement of hardened criminal rings in ever-rising incidents of kidnapping for ransom, newly emerged groups of kidnappers are using young women to lure well-off Peshawarites into abduction.

“Innumerable females, mostly involved in flesh business or belonging to families having criminal record, are part of kidnapping rings, who, while taking advantage of their good looks, develop contacts with well-off people,” a senior police investigator told The News. He added that later they (females) bring their prey to the rented buildings in the city, where male member of their rings made them hostage and call their families to arrange ransom.

The investigator said these gangs had hired buildings in Hayatabad, Gulbahar, Gulberg, Tehkal, Kakshal, Rashid Garhai, Faqirabad and Afghan Colony and various other urban parts of the provincial capital for carrying out their criminal activities. He said on a number of occasions people were recovered from houses in congested urban areas of the city where they were brought by unknown women.

It has been learnt that these females mostly belong to the families having criminal record. They use unregistered phone SIMs to contact the well-off.Apart from young and rich bachelors, these groups successfully manage to kidnap mature and middle-aged men through these girls.

“Some of women are also involved in robberies and dacoities,” said a source, adding around 25 of the criminal gangs busted recently were using women to trap their preys.Kidnapping for ransom has become one of the most profitable crimes in the province these days and taking advantage of the situation ordinary criminals have also jumped into the arena.

The ransom money has also raised manifolds and in some cases people have paid even Rs15 to 60 million to recover their loved ones.Peshawar police is facing a massive challenge of confronting kidnappers, who are picking up people from all parts of the city.

Against the Pakhtun traditions even females are being picked up for ransom for the first time in the contemporary history. Incidents of kidnapping for ransom and the involvement of females have been largely witnessed in Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda and Swabi districts apart from Peshawar.

“We have recently worked out the kidnapping and murder case of a doctor who was lured by Saeeda, a good-looking female member of a gang of kidnappers.The involvement of females was also observed in several other kidnapping incidents,” SP, investigation, Nowshera, Muhammad Sajjad Khan, told The News.A number of well-off people and even commoners are still in custody of kidnapers, whose families have been directed to arrange huge amounts to get their loved ones released.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=186852